John McCain: on medicare to cause insolvency than it would otherwise. for all these reasons we down and work together step by step to rember the original objective, and that is to bend the cost curve down and stop these spiraling increases in health care insurance that americans are facing and that are driving american families to the edge. with that, mr. president, i

John McCain: yield my time. a senator: mr. president? senator from arizona. mr. mccain: mr. president, from media reports -- certainly not because members on this side of the aisle have been told about it -- i understand that the majority leader is now corralling the final three democrats, which i'm sure he

John McCain: will succeed in doing, in order to have 60 votes in order to move takeover of the private sector by the health care, by legislation perhaps in the history of this country. of course i would not know that myself, nor would any member on

John McCain: this side of the aisle know it because of the fact that there's no communication between the majority leader and republicans. i understand that they have 60 votes. i understand they'll get 60 votes. and i understand that they may very likely be able

John McCain: this through the senate of the united states. and then again they will gather in a small room, and they will come out with significant changes and revisions in the form of a conferee report. i've been having town hall meetings around my state of

John McCain: arizona, the second-hardest hit state in america because of this economic downturn we're in, and i want to assure my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that there's a revolution going on out there. it's a peaceful revolution, and they do not want increased costs of a reform commitment that

John McCain: would be up to $3 trillion, that would cut medicare by $500 billion and tax americans across the entire income spectrum by an additional $500 billion my friends across the aisle may not have gotten the message from

John McCain: the elections in new jersey and americans want cost control and they want affordable and available health care. they don't want increases in taxes. they don't want the government taking over the health care system in america. and that's what is going to be delivered. now, today in the "wall street

John McCain: journal" a lot of people i say may not trust the word of some of us on this side of the aisle. they may thi uninformed or we're just politicians. maybe we ought to listen to dr. jeffrey flier, the dean of the harvard medical school. the dean of the harvard medic school.

John McCain: i must say i've never been that great of an admirer of harvard, but the dean of the harvard medical school states in today's skwr-rpblg entitle -- in today's "wall street journal" entitled "health debate deserves a failing grade." he says as a dean of the harvard

John McCain: medical school, i'm frequently asked to comment on the health reform debate. i give it a failing grade. "insad of dealing with the fundamental problems, it is dealt with rival factions struggling to defeat president obama's agenda.

John McCain: those of us for whom the central issue is health, not have been left in the lurch. and as controversy heads towards a conclusion in washington, it appears that the people who favor the legislation are engaged in collective den our health care system suffers from problems of cost, access,

John McCain: and quality, and needs major reform. tax policy drives employment-based insurance. this begets overinsurance and drives costs upward while kraebgting i creating inequities for the unemployed and self-kpwhroeufpltd a regulatory

John McCain: return for a $5,000 refundable tax credit. attack ads were leveled against that. the reason why i proposed it was not because it was easy, not because i didn't think the americans need straight talk. i did it because it is one of the fundamental problems with health care in america. if someone gets something for free, they are not going to be

John McCain: careful about the money that's spent. ronald reagan once said nobody ever washed a rental car, and he's right. so when people receive -- he was right. and when people receive free me don't have to have accountability for, it's obvious

John McCain: that that's misused. again, the story this morning about some $49 wasteful spending in medicare. the numbers go on and on. and so, why is it that the dean of the medical school says both sides, the rhetoric on both

John McCain: sides is exaggerated and often deceptive? and maybe it but the rhetoric on both sides becomes more intense because of a failure to sit down together and try to work out together. at no time health process we've been in has there been serious negotiations

John McCain: between republicans and democrats. not one. not once. so of course the rhetoric gets tough on both -- gets exaggerated on both sides, and even deceptive, because we're not doing what the american people expect uts to do, and that -- expects us to do and that's sit down together and

John McCain: work these things out. in one of the greatest financial crises this nation faces. dr. flyer goes on to say speeches and news reports can lead you to believe that proposed congressional legislation would tackle the problems of cost, access, and quality, but that's not true. the various bills do deal with

John McCain: access by expanding medicaid and mandating subsidizing insurance at substantial cost and, thus, addresses an important social goal. however, there are no provisions to substantively control the growth of costs or raise the quality of care. i want to repeat that.

John McCain: dr. flyer says "there are no provisions to substantively control the growth of costs or raise the quality of care." so the overall eort will fail to qualify as reform. so, dr. flyer is alleging that there is no control over the growth of cost or raise the

John McCain: quality of care. we all know the cost of health care is unsustainable. the medicare trustees have said in seven years it's going to go broke. i believe it is not the right approach to covering millions more

John McCain: dean flyer goes on -- quote -- "in discussions with dozens of health care leaders and economists, i find near unanimity of opinion that whatever its shape, the final legislation that will emerge from congress will markedly accelerate national health care spending rather than restrain it." the whole problem with health care in america is not the quality of health care.

John McCain: it's the accessibility and affordability. so, dr. flyer says the final legislation will emerge, will markedly accelerate health care spending rather than restin it. dean flyer continues, "likewise, nearly all agree that the legislation would do little or nothing to improve quality or

John McCain: change health care's dysfunctional delivery system." this isn't just dr. flyer's opinion. look at samuelson's article just the other day about the effects of what is, has been passed by the house and will apparently be before us. democrats are proposing a $3 trillion expansion of government

John McCain: health care, including $1 trillion in medicare cuts and tax increases. experts tell us the legislation would do little or nothing to improve quality or change health care's dysfunctional delivery system. senate committee have spent months writing bills and spinning the benefits of legislation, and experts tell us

John McCain: the efforts fail the basic test. on march 5 of this president is quoted as saying -- and i quote -- "if people think we can simply take everybody who's not insured and load them up in a system where costs are out of control, it's not going to happen. we will run out of money. the federal government will be bankrupt. state governments will be bankrupt."

John McCain: and the president is right. the democratic leadershipship writing these bills aren't listening. partisan reform designe behind closed doors will bankrupt this country, in effect, committing generational theft. the majority leader continues to put his bills together in a secret committee of one with a deaf ear to what experts tell us

John McCain: is needed, and we wait. we wait with great anticipation to see how high taxes and fees will bencreased. we will wait with great anticipation to finally understand how senate democrats will force a government health insurance entitlement into our health care market. we will wait to see how much they will cut

John McCain: businesses. beginning january of 2010, health insurers would also be required to pay annual nondeductible fees totaling $60.4 billion over ten beginning january of 2010, medical device manufacturers are required to pay $40 billion in

John McCain: new nondeductible fees beginning -- fees. beginning january 2010, prescription drug manufacturers are required to pay billions of dollars in nondeductible fees. surprise, surprise -- the pharmaceutical industry has now dramatically increased their prices while the cost of living has gone down. what a shocker.

John McCain: those great people from the pharmaceutical lobby who have been willing to make such sacrifices for the american people are raising their prices in a totally disconnected to the absolutely nonexistent increase

John McCain: in the cost of living. and the administration continues to oppose drug reimportation from canada, where seniors could get prescription drugs for about half of what it's now costing them. beginning in 2013, democrats will raise taxes by $201

John McCain: billion, by increasing taxes by 40% on certain family health plans with higher coverage values payable by insurance companies or employers. beginning 2013, taxpayers who deduct medical expenses on their tax returns will pay $15 billion more in taxes. taxes on individuals who fai to maintain governmen

John McCain: health insurance pay $4 billion in new penalties, breaking president obama's promise that no one with income under $250,000 would pay higher taxes. taxes on businesses who are struggling to keep the doors open and workers employed in this recession will see higher taxes of $23 billion in the form

John McCain: of mandates and penalties for failing to offer government-approved health insurance. again, i urge my colleagues to read the article in "the new york post" entitled "obama care: buy now, pay later" by the well-respected economist robert samuelson.

John McCain: and he writes, "there is an air of absurdity to what is mistakenly called 'health care reform.' everyone knows that the united states face faces massive governmental budget deficits as far as the calculators can project. driven heavily been an aging population on the one hand and

John McCain: uncontrolled health costs. it's widely agreed that though deficits should not be cut abruftly, a prudent society would embark on long-term policy to control health costs, reduce government spending, and curb massive future deficits. the administration estimated

John McCain: that these deficits at $9 trillion from 2010 to 2019. the president and all his top economic advisors proclaim the same cautionary message. so what do they do? just the opposite. their far-reaing overhaul of the health care system which congress is half-way toward

John McCain: enacting would certainly make matters worse t would create new, open-ended medical entitlements that would do little to suppress surging health care costs. the disconnect between what president obama says and what he's doing is most glaring that most people could not abide it. the president and his adviss

John McCain: and allies have no trouble with reconciling blatantly contradictory objectives require them to engage in willful self-deception, public dishonesty or both. that's nclose quote. that's not my friend comments, mr. president. that's the comments of robert

John McCain: samuel respected economists in america. i want to talk about how the influence of special interests -- i pharmaceutical companies and the deal that they cut so that the administration would oppose importation from canada, that there would not be competion for medicare patients. but let me just talk about probably the most powerful force in

John McCain: legislation, and that's the trial lawyers of america. there is no provision for medical liability or medical malpracte reform in this legislation. in fact, that pas passed by the house that if states have enacted reforms, they will not be

John McCain: funding to try and fund demonstration projects to reduce the now, everybody knows -- ask any physician. they will tell you they practice defensive medicine. they do so because of their fear of finding and being wiped out. sometimes these additional

John McCain: procedures and tests are not so comfortable for the patient, but most importantly, they dramatically increase costs. and yet there is time after time after time any to put in medical reform -- and we will do it again when the majority leader

John McCain: gives birth to whatever you want to call this -- then the fact is -- the fact is that they are not seriously interes costs, but they are generosity of the trial of america, and it's an outrage. it is an absolute outrage.

John McCain: there has been reductions in lawsuits. there has been doctors and physicians and providers flowing back into the state of fairfax. it is proven. that's not -- back into the state of texas. it's proven. it is not everything we want. it shows that medical malpractice reform can reduce costs. and what have my friends on the

John McCain: other side and a couple on this side done? they have refused to consider a way that everyone greese would reduce -- agrees would reduce health care costs in america. the approval r is 18%. the town hall meetings that i have been having, i haven't met anybody that in that 18%.

John McCain: we need truth and honesty on health reform, not spin, not budget gimmicks, no cuts to medicare, no higher taxes, not government takeover, and not trillions in new health care spending. we are $12 trillion in debt, 10% unemployment, 17% real

John McCain: health care costs under control. finally, mr. president, i guess we are told that maybe this evening there may be something that will smoke from the majorit majority leader's office and we will be given the manifesto that he will call health care reform, and that will begin a great debate.

John McCain: i believe the question will be, will the special interests around the big speand the bigspenders win or will the american people that's why the american people are roused. and if they stay we continue to see the tea parties and the town hall

John McCain: meetings and the expressions of anger and frustration that the american people feel, we will beat this back and we'll go about a being to the bargaing table for the first time. for the first time we will go to the bargaing table and sit down democrats and republicans together. history shows there has been no successful reform in america without bipartisanship, and i don't believe that this will be